TENNESSEE 


MIDLAND  RAILWAY 

COMPANY. 


t 


RICHMOND,  VA.: 

WM.  ELLIS  JONES,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTER. 
1888. 


5.  A 


A 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE 

TENNESSEE  MIDLAND  RAILWAY  CO. 

November  5TH,  1888. 


DIRECTORS: 

A.  S.  BUFORD,  Richmond,  Va. 

T.  C.  LEAKE,  Jr.,  Richmond,  Va. 

R.  H.  TEMPLE,  Richmond,  Va. 

R.  L.  TRAYLOR,  Richmond,  Va. 

B.  A.  VANSCHAICK,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
W.  D.  BETHELL,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

G.  W.  MACRAE,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

W.  S.  BRUCE,  Memphis,  Tenn. 

J.  H.  ALLEN,  Memphis,  Tenn. 


OFFICERS: 

Li  President, . A.  S.  Buford. 

'  Vice-President ,  ....  T.  C.  Leake,  Jr. 

0  Chief  Engineer ,  .  .  .  .  R.  H.  Temple. 

General  Manager ,  ....  Ben.  Wilson. 

v  Secretary , . R.  L.  Traylor. 

Treasurer , . P.  L.  Jones. 

j  Superintendent ,  .  .  .  .  J.  P.  Meredith. 

<£L  Gen' l  Fr' t  &  Pass.  Agent,  .  .  .  J.  T.  Garner, 

j  ■  Auditor , . T.  T.  Talley. 


Offices:  Richmond,  Va.,  and  Memphis,  Tenn. 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Company. 


HISTORY. 


The  construction  of  a  railroad  diagonally  through  the  State  of 
Tennessee  has  been  agitated  by  Tennesseans  for  over  half  a 
century.  In  1835  enthusiastic  public  meetings  were  held  through¬ 
out  the  State  advocating  and  otherwise  encouraging  its  construc¬ 
tion  ;  in  1836  a  special  session  of  the  Tennessee  Legislature  was 
convened  and  authorized  an  expenditure  of  public  funds  for 
surveys  to  find  a  practicable  route  for  a  central  railroad;  and 
between  that  date  and  i860  many  other  attempts  were  made  to 
accomplish  this  much  desired  object.  In  1867  extensive  surveys 
and  examinations  were  made  for  the  Tennessee  &  Pacific  Rail¬ 
road  Company  and  some  thirty  miles  of  railroad  built  east  from 
Nashville  to  Lebanon ;  about  the  same  time  a  charter  was  obtained 
for  the  Memphis  &  Knoxville  Railroad  Company,  and  some 
thirty  miles  graded  between  Bolivar  and  Henderson,  in  West 
Tennessee  ;  later,  a  charter  was  obtained  for  the  Nashville,  Jack- 
son  &  Memphis  Railroad  Company,  some  surveys  were  made, 
and  considerable  rights  of  way  and  other  property  donated  to  it. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  the  enterprise  was  again  inaugurated  by  a 
combination  of  Virginians  and  Tennesseans,  who  obtained  a  char¬ 
ter,  under  the  general  laws  of  Tennessee,  for  the  Tennessee 
Midland  Railway  Company,  with  right  to  construct,  equip,  main¬ 
tain  and  operate  a  standard  gauge  railroad  lengthwise  through 
the  State  of  Tennessee,  and  certain  legislation  was  secured  en¬ 
larging  the  powers  of  that  corporation  and  to  otherwise  facilitate 
the  construction  of  the  proposed  railroad.  Exhaustive  examina- 


6 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


tions  and  surveys  were  made  under  the  direction  of  the  best 
talent  obtainable,  which  demonstrated  that  a  great  through  east 
and  west  railway,  traversing  the  State  of  Tennessee  for  about  five 
hundred  miles,  developing  a  territory  largely  without  railway 
facilities  and  rich  in  agricultural,  mineral  and  forest  products, 
and  connecting  by  a  direct  line  Memphis,  Nashville  and  Knox¬ 
ville,  the  largest  and  most  important  cities  in  Tennessee,  could 
be  built  with  easy  alignment  on  a  maximum  grade  of  one  per 
cent.,  at  an  average  cost  not  exceeding  seventeen  thousand  dol¬ 
lars  per  mile  ;  that  rights  of  way  would  be  largely  donated,  and 
local  aid  given  the  enterprise  sufficient  to  provide  rights  of  way 
not  donated,  grounds  for  stations  and  terminal  facilities,  and  the 
necessary  equipment. 

The  friends  of  the  enterprise  met  July,  1887,  and,  after  a  care¬ 
ful  review  and  full  discussion  of  the  information  obtained,  decided 
that  the  construction  of  the  Tennessee  Midland  Railway,  as  pro¬ 
posed,  was  worthy  of  their  support  and  would  be  attractive  to 
investors.  Acting  upon  this  conclusion,  they  immediately  sub¬ 
scribed  one  million  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
towards  its  construction.  Eighty-five  miles,  from  Memphis  to 
Jackson,  was  completed  and  put  in  operation  June  1st,  1888, 
and  has  shown  satisfactory  earning  capacity  since  the  opening. 
Fifty  miles,  from  Jackson  to  Midland  City,  on  the  Tennessee 
river,  is  now  under  construction  and  will  be  completed  early  in 
1889.  Terminal  grounds  at  Memphis  and  equipment  for  the 
present  business  have  been  purchased  at  a  cost  of  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Most  of  the  rights  of  way 
have  been  secured  and  permanent  location  made  on  the  ninety- 
five  miles  from  Midland  City  to  Nashville,  which  it  is  proposed 
to  put  under  construction  at  an  early  date.  Local  aid  to  the 
extent  of  about  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  has  been  secured 
between  Memphis  and  Nashville,  payable  as  the  railway  is  com¬ 
pleted  through  the  respective  counties.  Preliminary  surveys 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


7 


have  been  made  between  Nashville,  Knoxville,  and  the  Virginia 
State  Line,  and  some  rights  of  way  and  local  aid  obtained.  It 
is  proposed  to  make  permanent  location  east  from  Nashville, 
secure  rights  of  way  and  local  aid,  and  put  that  part  of  the 
railway  under  construction  at  the  earliest  practicable  date. 

Herewith  will  be  found  the  specifications  under  which  the 
Tennessee  Midland  Railway  is  being  built;  outline  of  proposed 
route,  brief  description  of  section  traversed  and  railway  and 
water  connections  made,  with  map  of  the  line  and  principal 
connections,  to  which  attention  is  respectfully  requested. 


T.  C.  LEAKE,  Jr.,  Vice-President. 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Company 


SPECIFICATIONS. 


1.  Grade  not  to  exceed  a  maximum  of  fifty-two  and  eight- 
tenths  (52.8)  feet  per  mile. 

2.  Curvature.  Minimum  radius  not  less  than  one  thousand 
(1,000)  feet,  being  equivalent  to  a  five  and  three-quarter  (5^) 
degree  curve. 

3.  Graduation.  Roadbed  on  embankments  fourteen  (14) 
feet  in  width  at  grade,  with  slope  of  one  and  a  half  to  one. 
Width  of  roadbed  in  earth  cuts  eighteen  (18)  feet  at  grade,  with 
slope  of  one  to  one,  except  where  material  will  admit  of  slope  of 
one-half  to  one.  Width  of  roadbed  in  rock  cuts  sixteen  (16) 
feet  at  grade,  with  slope  of  one-quarter  to  one;  all  cuts  to  be 
properly  ditched. 

4.  Bridges  to  be  of  wrought  iron,  except  such  parts  as  may 
be  more  conveniently  made  of  steel,  all  bridges  being  calculated 
to  sustain  a  rolling  load  of  thirty-five  hundred  (3,500)  pounds 
per  foot. 

5.  Trestles  to  be  of  heart  pine,  white,  post  or  chestnut 
oak,  free  from  all  defects  calculated  to  impair  the  strength  or 
durability  of  the  timber,  and  of  sufficient  strength  to  sustain 
a  rolling  load  of  thirty  five  hundred  (3,500)  pounds  per  foot. 

6.  Cross-Ties  to  be  of  good  sound  white,  post  or  chestnut 
oak,  eight  (8)  feet  long,  seven  (7)  inches  thick,  and  with  a  face 
of  not  less  than  seven  (7)  inches,  the  two  faces  to  be  parallel, 
edges  barked  and  the  ends  cut  off  square. 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co, 


9 


7.  Cattle-Guards  to  be  constructed  at  fence  crossings  of 
good  sound  heart  pine,  white,  post  or  chestnut  oak,  with 
stringers,  capable  of  sustaining  a  rolling  load  of  thirty-five 
hundred  (3,500)  pounds  per  foot,  and  foundations  to  be  secured 
from  settling. 

8.  Rails  to  be  of  the  best  quality  of  Bessemer  steel  and  not 
less  than  fifty-six  (56)  pounds  per  yard. 

9.  Fastenings  to  be  double  angle  plates,  not  less  than 
twenty-two  (22)  inches  long,  Harvey  grip  or  other  approved 
bolts,  three  and  three-quarters  by  three-quarters  (3^  x  ^). 
Spikes  five  and  one-half  by  nine-sixteenths  (5/4*  9-16). 

10.  Track  to  be  laid  with  supported  joints,  full  spiked, 
surfaced  and  filled  with  best  material  found  immediately  adjacent 
to  track. 

11.  Road-Crossings.  Wooden  road  bridges  to  be  erected 
at  all  over-head  crossings,  of  a  good  and  substantial  character. 
And  good  sound  white,  post  or  chestnut  oak  or  pine  plank, 
two  inches  thick,  to  be  laid  at  all  grade  crossings. 

12.  Road-Crossing  Signs  to  be  erected  at  all  grade  cross¬ 
ings  of  public  highways,  as  required  by  law. 

13.  Mile  Posts  of  cedar,  white,  post  or  chestnut  oak,  prop¬ 
erly  painted  and  bearing  the  number  indicating  the  proper 
distance. 

14.  Signal  Posts  to  be  erected  at  the  proper  distance  from 
all  stations,  bridges,  road  crossings  and  elsewhere,  if  required. 

15.  Sidings  at  such  intervals  as  may  be  necessary  to  accom¬ 
modate  the  traffic  and  give  proper  facilities  for  the  convenient 
passing  of  trains. 

16.  Turn-Tables  or  “  Y”  tracks  where  necessary. 

17.  Switches  of  steel  rail,  Wharton  or  other  approved  pat¬ 
tern,  with  steel  frogs  to  conform  to  the  standard  rail  pattern, 
and  with  switch  stands  of  the  most  approved  pattern. 


10 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


18.  Depots.  Such  depot  grounds  to  be  graded  as  may  be 
necessary  to  give  convenient  access  to  the  depots  established, 
and  warehouse  room  for  freight,  and  convenient  passenger  rooms, 
with  freight  and  ticket  offices,  to  be  erected  as  may  be  necessary 
to  accommodate  the  traffic. 

19.  Water  Stations  shall  be  erected  at  convenient  intervals, 
not  more  than  twenty  five  (25)  miles  apart,  with  sufficient  tank 
capacity  and  all  necessary  pumps,  pipes  and  other  appliances  to 
supply  them  with  water. 

20.  Section  Houses  shall  be  erected  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  track  foremen  and  their  families  and  laborers,  and  con¬ 
venient  tool  houses,  not  more  than  eight  miles  apart,  provision 
being  made  for  a  convenient  supply  of  water  at  each  point. 


R.  H.  TEMPLE,  Chief  Engineer. 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway. 


Outline  of  Proposed  Route,  Brief  Description  of  Section 
Traversed  and  Railway  and  Water  Connections. 


The  Tennessee  Midland  Railway  as  projected  from  Memphis, 
via  Somerville,  Jackson,  Lexington,  Midland  City,  Linden,  Cen- 
treville,  Oreville,  Nashville,  Woodbury,  Rock  Island,  Crossville, 
Emory  Gap,  Knoxville,  Maynardville,  and  Sneedville  in  the 
State  of  Tennessee,  to  the  Virginia  State  line,  will  pass  through 
the  counties  of  Shelby,  Fayette,  Hardeman,  Madison,  Hender¬ 
son,  Decatur,  Perry,  Hickman,  Maury,  Williamson,  Davidson, 
Rutherford,  Cannon,  Warren,  Van  Buren,  White,  Cumberland, 
Morgan,  Roane,  Knox,  Union,  Grainger,  Claiborne,  and  Hancock, 
with  assessed  values  for  1888  of  over  one  hundred  and  forty- 
six  million  dollars  (these  values  are  estimated  to  be  very  low), 
making  a  total  mileage  of  about  five  hundred  miles,  traversing 
from  southwest  to  northeast  a  territory  largely  without  railway 
facilities,  and  the  finest  agricultural,  timber,  marble,  and  mineral 
region  in  Tennessee,  connecting  by  a  direct  line  Memphis, 
Nashville,  and  Knoxville,  the  largest  and  most  important  cities 
in  the  State,  and  forming  part  of  an  important  East  and  West 
trunk  line. 

MEMPHIS,  the  county  seat  of  Shelby,  and  the  western  termi¬ 
nus,  has  a  population  of  about  seventy-five  thousand,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  progressive  cities  in  the  South.  Its  new  custom¬ 
house,  cotton  and  grain  exchanges,  corn  and  flouring  mills, 


12 


Te?inessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


cotton  and  ice  factories,  cotton-seed  oil  mills,  machine  shops, 
saw- mills,  cooperage  and  other  wood -working  establishments, 
and  immense  grain  elevators,  cotton  warehouses,  and  compresses 
would  do  credit  to  any  city  in  the  Union.  It  has  a  number  of 
important  educational  institutions,  and  is  noted  for  being  the 
largest  inland  cotton  market  in  the  world.  Its  cotton  receipts 
exceeded  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  bales  last  season  and 
this  season  are  estimated  at  seven  hundred  thousand  bales, 
which  is  over  one-ninth  of  the  cotton  produced  in  the  United 
States,  and  it  is  confidently  predicted  that,  with  increased  facili¬ 
ties,  its  receipts  will  soon  reach  one  million  bales  annually.  The 
terminus  of  ten  railroads  and  of  others  projected;  built  upon  the 
Chickasaw  Bluffs  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  at 
the  head  of  all-the-year  navigation,  with  a  bridge,  now  under 
construction,  which  will  soon  span  the  river  and  open  the  gate¬ 
way  for  the  grain,  meat,  cotton,  and  other  products  of  the  rich 
Northwest  and  Southwest,  Memphis  bids  fair  to  be,  at  no  dis¬ 
tant  day,  one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing,  commercial, 
and  railroad  centres  on  the  Mississippi  river. 

SOMERVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Fayette,  has  a  population 
of  about  two  thousand,  and  handles,  in  connection  with  its  com¬ 
press,  some  ten  thousand  bales  of  cotton  annually. 

JACKSON,  the  county  seat  of  Madison,  and  the  seat  of  the 
United  States  District  Court,  and  the  Supreme  Court  for  West 
Tennessee,  has  a  population  of  about  ten  thousand  and  is  a 
progressive  city,  having  several  large  educational  institutions,  a 
cotton-seed  oil  mill,  cotton  compress,  flouring  mill,  woolen,  barrel, 
and  ice  factories,  and  several  wood-working  establishments,  and 
handles  some  twenty  thousand  bales  of  cotton  annually.  It  is  the 
junction  and  relay  station,  and  location  of  the  division  shops  ol 
both  the  Illinois  Central  and  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroads,  which 
makes  it,  with  the  Tennessee  Midland  Railway,  an  important  rail- 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co.  13 

road  centre,  and  with  such  increased  facilities  should  soon  double 
its  present  population  and  business. 

LEXINGTON,  the  county  seat  of  Henderson,  has  a  popula¬ 
tion  of  about  eight  hundred,  is  surrounded  by  a  fine  agricultural 
and  timbered  country,  and  has  a  bright  future. 

The  distance  from  Memphis  to  Midland  City,  on  the  Tennessee 
river,  is  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles,  and  traverses 
the  rich  cotton  belt  of  West  Tennessee. 

This  section  is  very  productive  and  grows  all  the  grains,  grasses 
and  fruits,  much  attention  is  also  given  to  fruit  and  stock  raising  ; 
timber  is  abundant,  consisting  principally  of  the  hard  woods. 
Good  potter’s  clay  and  tripoli  Are  found  in  Madison  county,  and 
large  deposits  of  green  sand  marl  in  Henderson  county,  which  is 
valuable  as  a  fertilizer.  Decatur  county,  bordering  on  the  Tennes¬ 
see  river,  is  noted  for  its  large  deposits  of  superior  brown  hematite 
ore,  which,  with  similar  deposits  east  of  the  river — limestone, 
timber  forests,  and  the  agricultural  products  of  that  section — will 
hasten  the  growth  of  Midland  City  and  soon  make  it  the  most 
important  point  on  the  Tennessee  river.  Already  a  syndicate  of 
strong  capitalists  is  being  formed  to  lay  out  a  city  and  build 
several  furnaces,  and  other  manufacturing  establishments  are 
seeking  locations  there. 

LINDEN,  the  county  seat  of  Perry,  with  a  population  of 
about  four  hundred,  situated  on  the  Buffalo  river,  and 

CENTREVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Hickman,  with  a  popu¬ 
lation  of  about  one  thousand,  situated  on  the  Duck  river,  are 
both  surrounded  by  immense  deposits  of  iron  ore  and  timber 
forests,  and  promise  to  become  cities  of  considerable  manu¬ 
facturing  importance.  Two  large  charcoal  furnaces  and  one 
cotton  factory  are  now  located  in  this  vicinity. 

The  distance  from  Midland  City  to  Oreville  is  about  sixty-five 


14  Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 

miles,  and  traverses  the  rich  iron  ore  belt  and  timber  forests  of 
West  Tennessee,  which  is  being  rapidly  developed  ;  the  furnaces 
already  in  operation  in  that  section  are  the  most  successful  in 
the  South  ;  recent  additions  have  been  made  to  the  charcoal 
furnaces  for  extracting  alcohol  and  naptha  from  the  wood  charred 
for  furnace  purposes,  which  adds  a  handsome  profit  to  the 
manufacturers  of  charcoal  iron.  The  valleys  of  this  section  are 
very  fertile,  and  grow  all  the  grains,  grasses  and  fruits  ;  the 
peanut  crop  is  an  important  industry. 

NASHVILLE,  the  capital  of  Tennessee  and  county  seat  of 
Davidson,  has  a  population  of  about  eighty  thousand  and,  with 
the  exception  of  New  Orleans,  is  the  wealthiest  and  largest 
manufacturing  and  commercial  city  in  the  South.  Its  numerous 
factories,  with  capital  exceeding  ten  million  dollars,  give  em¬ 
ployment  to  over  twelve  thousand  laborers,  consume  about  fif¬ 
teen  million  dollars’  worth  of  raw  material  and  produce  some 
twenty-five  million  dollars’  worth  of  manufactured  goods  an¬ 
nually.  There  is  handled  here,  in  connection  with  nineteen 
saw  mills  and  twelve  planing-mills,  over  one  hundred  and  forty 
million  feet  of  timber,  a  large  portion  of  which  is  shipped  foreign 
via  New  Orleans,  and  turns  out  about  eight  hundred  thousand 
barrels  of  flour  and  two  hundred  thousand  barrels  of  meal  from 
its  fourteen  mills  annually.  It  has  four  cotton  factories,  and  one 
woollen  mill,  employing  some  sixteen  hundred  operatives,  and 
two  iron  furnaces,  one  coke  and  one  charcoal,  with  forty  ovens, 
in  connection  with  which  there  is  a  wrood  alcohol  plant  having 
capacity  of  one  hundred  thousand  gallons  per  annum.  The 
receipts  of  live  stock  the  past  year  exceeded  one  hundred  and 
forty-six  thousand  head  and  the  shipments  seventy-nine  thou¬ 
sand.  In  the  wholesale  jobbing  line  it  ranks  sixth  in  the  United 
States  as  a  shoe  market,  its  average  receipts  being  over  ninety- 
four  thousand  cases  annually  ;  and  as  a  hardware  market  it  is 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


15 


ahead  of  both  Cincinnati  and  Louisville.  It  is  pre-eminently  an 
educational  centre,  having  the  largest  publishing  house  in  the 
South,  and  nine  or  more  flourishing  Universities  and  Colleges, 
with  over  three  thousand  students  from  abroad,  and  is  noted  for 
its  magnificent  public  buildings  and  handsome  residences. 

Situated  on  the  Cumberland  river,  surrounded  by  a  fine  agri¬ 
cultural  and  timbered  country,  with  rich  deposits  of  coal,  iron 
ore,  limestone  and  other  minerals,  Nashville  needs  only  increased 
railroad  facilities  to  become  a  large  producer  of  pig  iron  and 
steel,  and  double  its  present  manufacturing  and  commercial 
enterprises. 

WOODBURY,  the  county  seat  of  Cannon,  has  a  population 
of  about  eight  hundred,  and  is  a  thriving  town. 

ROCK  ISLAND,  situated  on  the  Caney  Fork  river,  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  falls  and  crossing  of  the  Tennessee  Midland 
Railway,  with  its  unequalled  water  power,  should  become  a 
manufacturing  point  of  great  importance. 

The  distance  from  Oreville,  via  Nashville,  to  Rock  Island  is 
about  one  hundred  miles,  and  traverses  the  rich  blue  grass  belt  of 
Middle  Tennessee,  which  is  one  of  the  most  productive  sections  in 
the  United  States,  noted  for  its  grain,  fruit,  grass  and  stock  raising. 
No  section  has  given  more  attention  to  breeding  fine  stock  than 
the  blue  grass  basin  of  Middle  Tennessee.  Cotton  is  also  raised 
to  a  considerable  extent.  The  timber  throughout  this  section  is 
very  fine,  the  hard  woods  predominating.  Cedar,  especially  of 
the  largest  growth,  is  found  in  abundance. 

CROSSVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Cumberland,  having  a  popu¬ 
lation  of  about  three  hundred,  situated  in  the  heart  of  the  coal 
field  on  the  Cumberland  Plateau,  should  become  a  manufactu¬ 
ring  and  trading  point  of  great  importance. 


16 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


The  distance  from  Rock  Island  across  the  Cumberland  plateau 
to  Emory  Gap,  the  junction  of  the  Tennessee  Midland  and  Cin¬ 
cinnati,  New  Orleans  and  Texas  Pacific  Railways,  is  about  eighty- 
five  miles,  and  traverses  the  rich  coal  and  coal-oil  belt  of  that 
section.  Several  seams  of  superior  domestic  steam  and  coking 
coals  underlie  this  entire  territory,  which  is  noted  also  for  its 
healthfulness  and  adaptability  to  fruit  growing  and  stock  raising. 

KNOXVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Knox,  has  a  population  of 
over  thirty-five  thousand,  and  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  cities 
in  the  South.  It  has  several  large  institutions  of  learning  and 
many  handsome  public  buildings  and  private  residences.  Its 
population  has  increased  over  twenty  thousand  within  the  past 
five  years,  and  its  commercial  and  manufacturing  interests  have 
grown  in  proportion.  As  a  wholesale  market  Knoxville  ranks 
fifth  in  the  South,  following  in  order  New  Orleans,  Nashville, 
Memphis  and  Atlanta. 

Few  cities  in  the  United  States  can  show  such  wonderful 
growth,  its  jobbing  trade  reaching  twenty  million  dollars,  and 
the  products  of  its  cotton  and  woolen  factories,  foundries,  car- 
works  and  other  wood-working  establishments,  exceeding  nine 
million  dollars  annually.  Located  on  the  Tennessee  river  and 
surrounded  by  the  rich  agricultural,  timber  and  mineral  region 
of  East  Tennessee,  abounding  with  large  deposits  of  marble, 
limestone,  coal,  brown  and  red  hematite,  and  magnetic  ores, 
Knoxville  will  continue  to  grow,  and  with  additional  railroad 
facilities  become  one  of  the  most  important  commercial  and 
manufacturing  centres  of  the  rapidly  developing  South. 

MAYNARDVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Union,  and 

SNEEDVILLE,  the  county  seat  of  Hancock,  have  each  a 
population  of  several  hundred  and  are  thriving  towns. 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


17 


The  distance  up  the  Valley  of  East  Tennessee  from  Emory 
Gap,  at  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Cumberland,  plateau,  via  Knoxville, 
to  the  Virginia  State  line,  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles,  and  traverses  the  rich  agricultural,  marble,  timber,  iron  ore, 
limestone,  zinc,  and  other  mineral  sections  of  that  famous  Valley. 

CONNECTIONS  at  Memphis  with  steamers  on  the  Missis¬ 
sippi  river;  the  Kansas  City,  Fort  Scott,  and  Memphis  Railroad 
for  Kansas  City  and  the  Northwest;  St.  Louis,  Iron  Mountain  and 
Southern  Railroad  for  Fort  Smith,  Texarkana,  and  the  Southwest; 
Little  Rock  and  Memphis  Railroad  for  Little  Rock ;  and  the 
Louisville,  New  Orleans  and  Texas  Railroad  for  Vicksburg,  New 
Orleans  and  the  South.  At  Jackson  with  the  Illinois  Central  and 
Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroads  for  Cairo,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  and  the 
North,  Mobile,  New  Orleans,  and  the  South.  At  Midland  City 
with  steamers  on  the  Tennessee  river.  At  Nashville  with  the 
Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad.  At  Emory  Gap  with  the  Cin¬ 
cinnati,  New  Orleans  and  Texas  Pacific  Railway  for  Cincinnati 
and  the  North,  Chattanooga,  Birmingham,  New  Orleans,  Shreve¬ 
port,  the  South  and  Southwest.  At  Knoxville  with  the  Knoxville 
Southern  Railroad  for  Atlanta  and  the  South,  and  the  Richmond 
and  Danville  System  for  the  Carolinas,  Norfolk,  and  the  East; 
and  at  the  Virginia  State  Line  with  the  projected  Virginia 
Western  Railroad,  through  Southwest  Virginia,  to  a  connection 
with  the  Richmond  and  Alleghany  Railroad  for  Richmond  and 
Newport  News;  and  with  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  System  at  Lex¬ 
ington,  Va.,  for  Pittsburg,  Washington,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
New  York,  and  the  East— will  give  the  Tennessee  Midland  Rail¬ 
way  a  large  interchange  of  business  and  superior  through  con¬ 
nections  for  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington, 
Pittsburg,  Richmond,  Newport  News,  Norfolk,  the  Carolinas, 
Cincinnati,  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  Kansas  City,  Little  Rock,  New 
Orleans,  Texas,  and  intermediate  points. 


18 


Tennessee  Midland  Railway  Co. 


Starting  at  Memphis,  the  western  terminus,  destined  to  be  in 
the  near  future  one  of  the  most  important  commercial,  manufac¬ 
turing,  and  railroad  centres  on  the  Mississippi  river,  the  proposed 
railway  will  pass  through  the  rich  West  Tennessee  cotton  belt  for 
about  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles,  and  thence  for  about 
sixty-five  miles  through  the  finest  timber  forests  and  deposits  of 
brown  hematite  ore  in  the  South,  into  the  rich  grain  and  blue 
grass  belt  of  Middle  Tennessee,  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  and 
stock-raising  regions  in  the  country,  near  the  centre  of  which  is 
located  Nashville,  the  capital  of  the  State  and  the  second  city  in 
wealth,  commercial,  and  manufacturing  importance  in  the  South; 
traversing  this  belt  for  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  miles, 
thence  over  the  Cumberland  plateau  a  distance  of  about  eighty- 
five  miles  into  and  up  the  Valley  of  East  Tennessee  for  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty  five  miles,  developing  a  section  healthy  and 
productive,  with  immense  deposits  of  coal,  iron  ore,  limestone, 
and  marble,  and  touching  Knoxville,  an  important  and  pro¬ 
gressive  city.  The  line  will  be  located  wholly  within  the  State  of 
Tennessee,  passing  through  twenty-four  counties  and  touching 
twelve  county  seats. 

Reviewing  the  advantages  of  the  Tennessee  Midland  Railway 
as  projected,  it  is  safe  to  say  there  is  no  other  railway  in  the 
South,  five  hundred  miles  in  length,  constructed  or  projected, 
touching  as  many  cities  and  towns  of  so  great  present  import¬ 
ance  and  future  promise,  making  so  many  valuable  railway  and 
water  connections,  or  traversing  a  section  so  rich  in  minerals, 
timber,  and  agricultural  resources. 


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